December 16th Sermon; Luke 3 verses 7 to 18

December 16th Sermon; Luke 3 verses 7 to 18

Advent is not only about preparing for the celebration of Jesus’ birth at Christmas.

It’s also about preparing for Jesus Second Coming - at some point in the future - when he will come as the Judge of mankind.

What would you do I wonder if you lived close to a volcano and were warned one day by the local authorities that it was about to erupt.

I suspect you’d heed the warning and act upon it. You’d quickly gather your family together, and if you had room in your car, friends or neighbours, and drive to a place of safety

Well in today’s gospel reading from Luke we have a warning about the judgement that will occur when Jesus does come again, and the sensible thing for us to do is to heed the warning and to act upon it – to flee from it as John the Baptist puts it in verse 7.

Let’s look at the passage in a bit more detail. The first thing we notice is that John the Baptist doesn’t pull his punches. He’s very blunt and direct. He tells the Jewish people exactly what their situation is and what they need to do about it.

His approach wouldn’t win any prizes for tact or diplomacy, but it seems to do the trick as crowds come to be baptised by him and cleansed form their sins – as they truly repent.

Why initially – in verse 7 - does he call those coming to him a brood of vipers?

Well Satan is portrayed in the bible as a snake - for instance in Genesis when he tempts Adam and Eve. So John is effectively calling the people children of the devil.

It’s not the most endearing term of greeting but it’s true. Many people assume that we are all children of God, but actually this is not our default position.

Unfortunately – just like the devil – we all rebel against God and seek to please ourselves. We then inevitably hurt other people and offend God.

We only become children of God as we come to recognise our predicament, and repent, which of course is what John was urging the crowds who came to him to do.

But as he makes clear in verse 8, our repentance must be genuine. If we’ve truly decided that we want to cease rebellion against God and to start to live in co-operation with him, our lives should show a change.

We should bear fruits worthy of repentance as John puts it.

I watched a short video on the Holy Trinity Brompton website the other day. Holy Trinity Brompton Church or HTB is where the Alpha course - which I’m sure most of you have heard of - originated.

This video was an interview with a man called Shane Taylor who’d been one of Britain’s most violent criminals. In fact he was so violent that at one stage he’d been locked away in solitary confinement as he’d stabbed two prison officers.

However he’d ended up going to a prison Alpha course and then eventually he’d repented.

He said he hated what he’d become and he really wanted to change.

He asked Jesus to forgive him and invited him into his life and he was a changed man.

He said that afterwards prison officers became his friends and having been released from prison he no longer goes into pubs looking for a fight but for someone to tell about Jesus.

He is now bearing fruit that is worthy of repentance.

John the Baptist says to the crowds don’t say to yourselves “We have Abraham as our ancestor, for I tell you God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.”

In other words we shouldn’t sit here today and say well I’m OK because I’m an Anglican and I’ve been confirmed.

Confirmation is only of value if we genuinely mean the promises we undertake, if we sincerely turn away from what we know to be wrong and turn to Christ

Similarly the water used in baptism isn’t magic. It is only symbolic, and again the efficacy of baptism depends on the promises that are made - being lived out.

My old vicar used to say that if baptismal water really did have special powers he’d fix up a hosepipe and squirt the local school children with it.

As John the Baptist points out in verse 9, what God is really looking for is good fruit in our lives.

Now this fruit can only be borne by those who have genuinely repented and invited Jesus into their lives.

And this fruit is brought forth as people use their God given talents under the inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

It’s interesting that John compares us to trees. Trees have sap in them and the sap that must be in us in order to bear good fruit, is the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of Jesus.

Jesus says that apart from him we can do nothing.

In other words we of ourselves have no power to change people’s lives – only God can do that.

However as we seek to walk with God and to serve him, He can work through us to bless and heal people, to draw them to him, and to open their eyes to know him.

Christians are the body of Christ in the world. We are Jesus hands and feet and his mouth. He uses our bodies, our words and our hands to bless those around us, but he is the source of any fruit that we bear.

For instance as you know, we have prayer for healing at the communion rail once a month. If you have experienced physical or emotional healing – realise that it was Jesus who healed you because he loves you.

Campbell and I have absolutely no power to heal anybody. Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. We can only invite God to work through us by His spirit and pray that He will.

So if you’ve experienced any sort of healing please do say thankyou to God and realise who your healing has come from.

Verse 9 speaks of the judgement that is to come and echoes verse 17.

Of course no one really wants to hear about judgement but it is an inescapable part of the gospels.

There is good news but there is also bad news. There is heaven but there is also hell.

We like the idea of Jesus as kind and gentle and loving and forgiving, but we don’t particularly like the idea of him as a judge.

However God is perfect and so he is perfectly just. As humans who are made in the image of God, we also share a sense of justice.

We don’t like it if something seems unfair and if we are wronged we look for justice.

Because God is just He cannot simply turn a blind eye to sin and say ‘there there never mind – it doesn’t matter.’

When people hurt and hate each other and damage each other’s lives and in so doing offend God, there is a price to pay.

As humans we have a choice as to who pays that price. It’s either Jesus or if we reject his offer of forgiveness - we will have to pay the price ourselves.

Because he loves us, Jesus has paid the price for our sins himself on the cross and has been punished in our place.

But in order to avail ourselves of his forgiveness, as John the Baptist makes clear - we need to genuinely seek to follow him in our lives, and our lives should then show a change.

In verses 10 to 14 John gives practical examples of the types of things the people should be doing if they really have changed.

Notice that in all these examples the changed behaviour of an individual has a knock on effect to those around them.

So the person with 2 coats helps someone else who has none, and the tax collector improves the lives of those people on his round by not taking too much money from them. And the soldier no longer harasses and bullies others.

Life around the changed individual improves for those they come into contact with, and ideally it should be the same with us.

In the last few verses of today’s gospel reading John the Baptist announces the coming of Jesus and in verse 17 we get another stark warning about the day of judgement.

Jesus as the judge of mankind, will separate the wheat from the chaff.

Now as I tried to illustrate with my example of a volcano about to erupt, it’s extremely important that we heed these warnings and take action.

Christianity isn’t just a lifestyle choice that we should consider along with membership of the gym or golf club.

Christianity is about our eternal destinies. It’s about making peace with God and finding a relationship with Him that will carry on into eternity.

And when we’ve found that relationship it’s about reaching out to others and helping them to find the same relationship.

There will one day be a day of judgement and it will be a terrible experience for those who find themselves on the wrong side of God.

It is essential therefore that initially we ourselves make the decision to repent and to follow Christ and then seek to work with God to lead those around us to make their peace with their Creator.

God loves every human being he has created and it is his desire that everyone should be saved.

And he has done everything necessary himself on the cross for everyone to be saved, but people can only be saved as they make the decision themselves to cease rebellion against their creator and invite Him into their lives.

And in most cases this can only happen as the gospel is preached and lived out.

You are unique and you have a unique set of God given talents and abilities.

You also have a unique circle of family and friends and acquaintances. God desperately wants to reach out to these people through you, using the talents he’s given you.

He wants you to love them and to tell them that He loves them and has died on the cross for them.

If you haven’t yet made your peace with God I urge you to do so today – not just for yourself but for those you love and regularly come into contact with  – so that God can reach out to them through you.

And if you’re already a Christian I’d urge you to renew your concern for those around you, to commit yourself to praying for them and to make every effort to tell and show them that God loves them so much that he died on the cross to save them from judgement.

Let’s pray.

Perhaps this morning in this season of Advent - you would like to make your peace with God and escape the coming judgement described in today’s gospel reading.

Firstly ask God to forgive you for all the wrong things you’ve done in your life, and if there’s anything that you particularly regret - mention it to him now.

Now thank Jesus for dying on the cross for you – and paying the debt for your wrong doing.

And lastly in your own words invite Jesus into your life – so that you may come to know his love for you and those around you. AMEN